Volume 2

248 Life of Jesus Christ
though his pride prevented his appearing at the instruction
given the heathens. There were present at table some
other Pharisees from the city. They received Jesus in a
friendly manner which, however, was only feigned, for
they were hypocrites. A circumstance occurred during the
course of the meal that gave Jesus a suitable opportunity
for telling them the truth. A heathen slave, or servant, laid
upon the table a beautiful dish of many colors filled with
confectionery, made of spices kneaded together in the
shape of birds and flowers. One of the guests raised the
alarm. There was, he said, something unclean on the dish,
and he pushed the poor slave back, called him opprobrious
names, and put him last among the other servants.
Jesus interposed: "Not the dish, but what is in it is
full of uncleanness." The master of the house replied:
"Thou mistakest, those sweetmeats are perfectly clean and
very costly." Jesus responded in words like these: "They
are truly unclean! They are nothing else than sensual
pleasures made of the sweat, the blood, the marrow, and
the tears of widows, orphans, and the poor," and He read
them a severe lesson upon their manner of acting, their
prodigality, their covetousness, and their hypocrisy. They
grew wrathy, but could make no reply. They quitted the
house, leaving Jesus alone with the host. This latter was
very smooth and affable toward Jesus, but it was all hypocrisy.
He was hoping in this way to entrap Him and get
something at last to report against Him to the committee
at Capharnaum.
Toward evening Jesus again taught the heathens on the
mountain. When they asked Him whether they should be
baptized by John and expressed a wish to settle in
Palestine, Jesus counseled them to put off their Baptism
until better instructed. He told them, moreover, to go first
of all across the Jordan to Upper Galilee and into the
region of Adama, where they would find good people and
heathens already instructed, and where He Himself would